Prisoner
by ChelsieLynn
Summary: SEQUEL TO FIRE AND ICE. Waverly Barton, sister to the famous Hawkeye and girlfriend of Loki god of mischief, has been capture by The Other. Against Fury's wishes, Clint teams with with Loki in an attempt to save his sister. Will the archer be able to trust Loki long enough to free Waverly? And will Loki be able to finally turn over a new leaf and become a reformed man?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, this is the sequel to Fire and Ice. I have an idea for the general plot but not the whole story so I don't know how often I'll update. Thank you all so much for liking my previous Loki stories! Thank you also for the reviews, favorites, and follows. For those of you who are reading this that haven't read Loki's Match or Fire and Ice, you probably won't understand this story. If you're interested, please read my other stories, it would be awesome =] I think that's it for now. I hope you like!**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter One:

Loki was pacing the living room of the apartment of his former mind control slave, Clint Barton. Loki's hands were clenched into fists, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and his heart rate was sky high. Loki was dressed in his usual Asgardian garb; all green leather and golden horns. The god was overwhelmingly nervous. Waverly had been captured by The Other. Loki honestly felt as if he was going to throw up. Waverly was the only person in all of the nine realms that he cared about, the first woman he had actually loved, and he couldn't think of being without her. If The Other had her, she was in grave danger. Loki wouldn't even allow himself to think about what The Other might do to her. He couldn't bear it. So instead, he found comfort in his usual sarcastic commentary.

"Good lord Barton, you take longer than a woman to get ready."

Clint stuck his head out from his bedroom. "You can cut the attitude, Loki. I can save my sister by myself."

Loki rolled his eyes but remained quiet while Clint finished getting ready. The two of them were preparing to steal a SHIELD hyper-jet, an aircraft capable of space travel. Yes, Loki god of mischief and Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye were teaming up to steal one of Fury's planes. In addition, Clint was going to retrieve Loki's scepter from the weapons vault. Fury had been adamant that Loki was to be separated from his weapon. Why was Clint going against his agency in such a massive way? His sister's life was at stake and Fury's plan was not to his, or Loki's, liking. The director had insisted that instead of immediately jumping into action, which The Other was counting on them to do, they should form analyze their situation, propose a rescue strategy, and then jump into action. The rest of the Avengers and an assortment of SHIELD agents agreed with Fury's plan. Loki argued until he was blue in the face, but to no avail. Clint understood the validity of Fury's plan, but this was his little sister. The girl he practically raised. He was not going to take any chances with Waverly. So, Clint and Loki devised their own scheme. The archer and the kind-of-maybe-reformed Loki decided to team up and take matters into their own hands.

In was midnight the night after Waverly had been kidnapped. Neither Loki nor Clint had slept since she had been captured, and both were rather irritable. Still, nothing was going to deter them from their mission. As soon as Clint finished suiting up and gathering the arrows and other equipment he would need for this trip, he was going to return Loki's scepter. Then, the two of them were going to steal a hyper-jet and take off from the roof of Avengers Tower, plotting a course to the desolate moon that was The Other's home. They would take turns sleeping and flying the jet so that both would be rested and ready for battle when they reached The Other.

For now though, Loki had to wait while Clint prepared himself. Loki, tired of pacing, finally dropped onto Clint's sofa. Loki had never been in the archer's apartment and it was interesting to see where Waverly's brother lived. Since he had controlled Clint what felt like ages ago, Loki knew all of the intimate details of the SHIELD agent's mind. Still, it was intriguing to see his apartment. The place was organized chaos. There was a pile of clothes on an armchair, various piles of magazines, mail, and other important documents on the coffee table, and an assortment of utility belts, old bows, combat boots, and arrows littered around the floor. At first glance, the apartment looked like what Loki would expect from any master assassin. But, after taking a closer look, Loki could see some personal touches that showed Clint's true identity. In the attached kitchen, there was a photo of the archer with his sister hanging on the refrigerator and on an end-table, a picture of Natasha. She was smiling a genuine smile. Loki guessed it was one of the few pictures that depicted the Black Widow with anything resembling a human emotion.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Loki but was only a few minutes Clint emerged from his bedroom ready to go. His bow was in his hand and his quiver of high tech arrows slung over his shoulder. He had another small bag with other necessary tech.

"You ready?" Clint asked Loki.

Loki bit back a sarcastic remark and instead simply said, "Yes, may we be off?"

Clint nodded. "First thing's first, we gotta get your spear. Follow me." Clint led Loki out of his apartment. The two odd companions then made their way down into the depths of the tower, towards the weapons vault. While they walked, Clint told Loki the plan to get the god's scepter.

"If you cast an illusion of yourself down in the corridor, the guards outside the vault will take off after you. I'd incapacitate them but it would alert Fury to our motives sooner than I'd like."

Loki nodded in agreement. The plan was sound, not that he had any doubts. He had been in the archer's mind and knew how it worked. Clint was exceptional at his line of work. Sneaking out of the tower with the scepter in tow was all too easy for the experienced agent.

Clint continued with the plan as they descended down the elevator. "I've got clearance to the vault so I'll let you in. I'll keep watch while you grab the glow stick of destiny and then we'll head to the roof."

"Understood," Loki said. "Then you shall take the first round of flying while I attempt to sleep. When I wake, you'll show me how to operate the aircraft and we will switch positions."

"That's pretty much it," said Clint. "You have any idea what we're gonna do once we actually get to The Other."

Loki's voice was deadly quiet when he answered. "I plan to kill him quickly, without so much as a hint of mercy."

Clint smirked. "For once, I'm glad you have homicidal tendencies."

Loki returned the smirk. "As you should be."

* * *

The trek to the weapons vault occurred without incidence, as Clint knew it would. The night guards would be stationed down here, but other than that, the tower was silent for the night. Clint was still in the lead as he led Loki down the corridor. Clint still couldn't comprehend that he had teamed up with the psychopath that had controlled his mind and forced him against SHIELD, but then again, this was Waverly. Clint would do _anything_ to protect his sister, and he knew Loki would too. So now, Clint was about to engage in massive subordination with SHEILD's most wanted criminal. Clint smiled. This might actually be fun… ya know, if it wasn't for his sister being in mortal danger.

As they neared the weapons vault, Clint signaled for Loki to stop. The two stuck to the shadows and Clint instructed Loki to send an illusion of himself down the hallway. Clint watched in amazement as Loki created a perfect duplicate of himself just by waving his hand. Clint still had trouble believing that magic was real. Aliens, okay. Eight other realms, sure. But magic? Still, the proof was right before Clint's eyes. He watched the Loki illusion strut arrogantly down the hallway, much like the real Loki. Sure enough, this alarmed the two guards stationed on either side of the massive steel door that opened into the weapons vault.

"Hey!" Clint heard the first guard shout. "You're not authorized to be down here."

The Loki illusion walked past the two guards without a care. The second guard took off after it. "Stop! I order you to freeze!"

Within seconds, the first guard took off as well. Clint smiled. All too easy. He beckoned for Loki to follow him and then took off at a run down the corridor. With a swipe of his I.D. badge and a quick retina scan, the vault door slid open.

Loki rushed inside and Clint peered down the hallway to make sure the two guards hadn't discovered their ruse.

It was a few short minutes, but to Clint they were agonizing. If Loki didn't hurry up, no doubt the guards would discover that the Loki they were chasing was an illusion and then be hauling ass back to the vault.

Finally, Loki emerged with his spear in hand. "Shall we be off?"

Clint didn't waste time answering. He slid the door back along its track and it shut with a resounding 'thud.' Then, Clint took off at a sprint back towards the elevator. Loki was at his heels. Once in the elevator, Clint punched the button for roof access. Clint and Loki were both silent as the elevator ascended. In less than a minute, there was a 'ding' signifying that they had reached their destination. The doors slid open and Clint and Loki rushed out. No doubt they could be seen on the towers' security cameras and Fury might be after them already. But it didn't matter. It wouldn't take Clint long to fire up a hyper-jet and then they would be off.

Clint pointed to the jet they were going to use. He knew Fury kept its fuel tanks filled at all times in case of an emergency. Another swipe of Clint's I.D. badge opened the door to the jet's cockpit. The archer jumped in, followed by Loki. Clint strapped himself into the pilot seat and Loki fumbled with the restraints in the copilot's chair. Clint didn't wait for Loki to finish strapping himself it. The archer fired up the jet's engines and programmed their destination into the GPS. With a roar and a lurch, they were off.

"Don't worry, Wave," Clint muttered. "We're on our way."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows. I hope you like!**

Chapter Two:

Her cell was cold. It was damp and dark and eerily silent save for the steady drip of water from the ceiling. Waverly didn't know how long she had been here. Shortly after The Other began to teleport out of the tower, she had passed out. It was all still fuzzy. She remembered going to the mess hall, something about a net, and the next thing she knew, she was in this cell. It was small, she could barely stand up straight. The walls and floor were made of hard, black stone. There was a small bucket in the corner for her to do her business and once or twice a day, The Other himself brought her just enough water to stave off complete dehydration. Right now, Waverly was curled up in a ball in the corner, trying to retain as much heat as possible. She had pulled her arms inside the sleeves of her thin t-shirt and curled her toes around the hem of her pant legs. It wasn't enough. Waverly shivered and pain wracked her body.

She knew the pain stemmed from the numerous small puncture wounds all over her skin. What she couldn't remember was how she got these wounds. It was as if a thousand little needles had been pushed into her flesh. The tiny pin-pricks were bright red, stung, and caused pain to flush through her body with every movement. She felt weak and couldn't really concentrate on anything because her mind was so fuzzy.

Waverly hadn't tried to escape or use her powers. She was coherent enough to realize The Other wouldn't be stupid enough leave her in full control of her Ice Hawk abilities. Maybe she had been injected with some of The Other's antiserum. That would explain the puncture wounds… but then why did she have so many?

Waverly pushed the thought from her mind. She was so cold, so hungry, and so tired that it hurt just to try and think about how she had ended up in this situation. So instead, she thought about Loki.

Loki was Waverly's saving grace. The thought of the god of mischief kept her from losing her mind. It was scary enough being in this cell. It was scarier still that she had no idea what was going on. So, Waverly closed her eyes tightly shut and conjured a picture of the god in her mind's eye. She saw him in his Asgardian clothes complete with the velvety green cape. Loki had a soft look on his face that he only had when looking at Waverly. His thick, black hair fell in a curtain around his shoulders and he had that mischievous little smile that made Waverly go weak in the knees. His deep green eyes were soothing and Waverly stared into them as she fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

When she next awoke, Waverly's brain was much more focused. She blinked and pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing against the pain of her many wounds. Squinting through the dark, Waverly saw that the far wall of her cell was nothing but crisscrossing iron bars. Beyond that, it was too dark to see. Waverly leaned against the wall of her cell and pulled her knees to her chest to keep warm. Slowly, she began shifting through her memories, piecing together what happened.

The Other had kidnapped her. He used some kind of net implanted with hundreds of tiny needles to capture her. The needles were filled with antiserum. The antiserum suppressed her powers and dulled her combat senses. Then, The Other had used his magic to transport them to wherever they were now. Waverly vaguely remembered being dragged down a long flight of stone steps before she was thrown into this cell. She couldn't remember how long ago that had been and since she was stuck in eternal darkness, she had no idea how much time had passed since she had been kidnapped.

But why had The Other captured her and not simply killed her like he so desperately wished to?

Waverly remember the conversation she had had with the villain before he teleported her to wherever she was now. No, not 'wherever.' She was on The Other's barren moon of a home. The Other intended to use her as bait to lure Loki and the Avengers away from the safety of SHIELD so that he could finally enact his revenge. Once the Avengers and Loki were dead, The Other's master would destroy Earth on his way to ruling the universe.

Waverly felt her stomach knot in a mixture of worry, dread, and self-pity. She knew without a doubt that Clint and Loki would come after her. And if they came, it was likely the rest of the team would come. They would be walking straight into The Other's hands. And it was all her fault. She should have done something. She should have tried to fight back. But she didn't. She was too shocked and too afraid to do anything besides allow herself to get kidnapped and used as bait. Waverly felt warm tears spill from the corner of her eyes and drip down her cheeks. It was her fault that Loki, her brother, and her friends were right now heading to their own demise. It was her fault that Earth was only a short time away from being destroyed.

Then, an even more horrible thought crept into her mind. What if they weren't coming? What if her brother, Loki, and the Avengers simply left her to die at the hands of The Other in order to save the world? It was bad enough to think that they weren't coming. It was worse to realize that Waverly _wanted_ them to come. Her tears fell faster. She should be thinking of the greater good. She was an Avenger and a SHIELD agent. It was her job to protect Earth and her people from any threat, no matter how dangerous it would be for her own safety. The best possible thing to happen now would be for The Other to kill her and for Loki and the Avengers to stay on Earth to defend the planet from The Other's evil master.

But that wouldn't happen. Loki at least, would come after her. Waverly was sure of it. Her brother would likely come as well. Out of everyone in the world, those two men cared about Waverly more than anyone else did. She knew they would come for her. Waverly didn't want them to. It was just what The Other wanted. They would be walking right into his trap and there was nothing she could do about it. The tears fell faster. Waverly slid back to a laying position and rocked back and forth with sobs until sheer exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I know, another short one :( But I figured a short update sooner was better than a long update later! Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows. I hope you like!**

Chapter Three:

Clint allowed himself a short moment of relaxation while the hyper-jet cruised on autopilot. He leaned his head back against the captain's chair and closed his eyes. Breathing evenly, in through his nose and out through his mouth, Clint eased his nerves which had been on end ever since Natasha and Loki had woken him up and said something was wrong concerning Waverly. As Clint's breathing slowly calmed him, he allowed himself to think about the next phase of his and Loki's plan. If Clint was honest with himself, this plan was poorly thought out. It was highly likely that he and Loki were walking straight into a trap. But Clint didn't care. His sister was in danger and that was all that mattered.

Clint opened his eyes and peered out the windshield of the jet once more. He wrapped his fingers around the controls and switched off the autopilot. The jet was cruising at a whopping 900 miles an hour. The GPS, which really wasn't a GPS, was locked on The Other's location. Clint still didn't quite understand how the thing worked. It somehow sent radio waves out and judged the time it took for them to come into contact with various structures out in space. Then, the information was relayed back to the jet to determine its location. What Clint did understand was the communication system. Once he had broken through Earth's atmosphere, he had disabled the communication system. Clint had no desire to listen to Fury yell at him and order him to return home. That wasn't about to happen. If Fury wanted Clint and Loki back on Earth, he'd have to send the rest of the team after them. Clint knew he wouldn't do that.

So, Clint was reasonably confident that he and Loki would reach The Other's realm without any problems. It wouldn't take them long to get there, especially if Clint allowed the hyper-jet to cruise at its maximum speed. But, he and Loki were running on little sleep. They had agreed to take the trip at a slower pace so that both of them could sleep a little before confronting The Other. Clint glanced at the jet's onboard clock. It another twenty minutes or so, he'd wake Loki so that he could have a turn sleeping.

Loki. Clint still couldn't believe that he had teamed up with the god of mischief. After Loki had taken control of Clint's mind and made him do all those horrible things, Clint swore he'd have his vengeance. But, Clint's revenge had had to wait. Loki was carted off to Asgard where he was to be imprisoned. Then Fury sent Waverly there to keep an eye on the criminal. Clint remembered when Waverly told him her new assignment. He had been furious. Clint and Waverly argued for a good half hour. He didn't want her to go under any circumstances. The dude was seriously evil. Clint didn't want Waverly subjected to his control. And even if his magic was indeed taken away, Clint was afraid of all the things Loki could tell her. Loki knew all the dark secrets from the deepest corners of Clint's mind. Secrets that he didn't want to share with his sister; things he didn't want to burden her with. But, as it turned out, Loki never said anything, at least not to Clint's knowledge. That in itself surprised the archer.

And then, he had learned of Waverly's treachery. Clint was sure Loki had put her under his control. When Clint found out that she had killed Thor's father of her own accord and done it because she cared about Loki, Clint felt like the world had turned upside-down. Clint was ready to literally shake Waverly back to her senses. It was Natasha that had convinced Clint to trust his sister's judgment. He still remembered their conversation.

"_She's an adult, Clint. A woman. You can't treat her like a child."_

"_You don't understand, Tasha. I practically raised her. I can't let her do this. It's a huge mistake. The guy's evil."_

"_Like I was?"_

_The question hit Clint like a ton of bricks. "This… this is different."_

"_Why? Because he controlled you?"_

_When Clint didn't answer Natasha, she continued. "I'm not saying that this is Waverly's smartest decision. I'm just saying you should trust her. She loves you more than anyone in the world. Your relationship with her is something I've never had with anyone, something I'll never be able to understand. Waverly wouldn't do anything to hurt you and she wouldn't do this if it wasn't what she felt was right for her."_

Clint took a breath as the memory of that conversation subsided. He wished Natasha were here with him. Aside from Waverly, Clint trusted Natasha more than anyone else. There was no other person he'd like to have by his side during a fight. Clint missed his partner. But there was more to it. Clint's feelings for Natasha were complicated to say the least. Still, he wished she was here. Even though Clint knew Loki was a strong partner, he'd rather it be Natasha at his side.

Clint's thoughts swirled and he returned to thinking about his sister's boyfriend. The whole idea of a monster like Loki having something as normal as a relationship, with his sister no less, was something Clint still couldn't comprehend. But, if the archer was honest with himself, he had to admit that Loki had changed. Loki wasn't the same person her had controlled him. Sure, the guy was still insane in Clint's opinion, but his sister had softened him up. Anyone could see that. Clint knew that Loki may not be totally reformed, but where Waverly was concerned, Loki was good at heart. The god loved her and she loved him. Clint wasn't sure how he felt about Loki. There was still so much anger and resentment. But, Clint had come to accept Waverly's relationship with Loki. For whatever reason, he made her happy and as far as Clint was concerned, that was all that mattered. Clint loved Waverly above all else and he'd do anything to make her happy. If she was happy with Loki, then Clint was okay with that. Clint had even come to accept the fact that once this was all over, it was likely Loki would disappear as he did before and Waverly would go with him. He would miss his sister, but if that was what she wanted, who was he to stand in her way?


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry it's been so long. Next chapter will be pretty action-y so the story will start to pick up from here. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows. I hope you like!**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter Four:

Fury had never been more furious. One of his best agents, Clint Barton, Hawkeye had gone AWOL. Fury didn't believe it. Barton was his best marksmen, he had never failed a mission before. What in all of hell was Clint thinking? Running off with Loki to lord knows where; probably walking straight into a trap. And after he, the director of SHIELD, had forbade any rash action. It made Fury's blood boil. He couldn't care less about Loki, but if Barton got himself killed….

Fury stood roughly from his chair and began pacing his office. He had been doing this repeatedly for the past few hours, ever since he had found out Barton and Loki had left. Fury clenched his hands behind his back and stared at the floor, trying to calm himself down. From the other side of his desk, he felt Agent Romanoff's eyes following his every movement. Pausing in his endless walk, Fury looked up at Natasha.

"I just don't understand what he was thinking."

"With all due respect, sir," Natasha said slowly and carefully, "This _is_ his sister we're talking about."

"But teaming up with Loki?!" Fury asked incredulously. "After what that slime ball did to him?"

Natasha shrugged. "Sir, if I may, I think Clint made the right choice."

Fury raised an eyebrow curiously, signaling Natasha to explain herself.

"Clint is one of your best assassins. Loki is the god of mischief. We both know how skilled both of them are. With just the two of them going after Waverly, I think it's quite possible they can infiltrate The Other's realm without being noticed. They might be able to finally get rid of him."

Fury sat back down at his desk. He looked across it at Natasha while thinking over what she had just said. He propped his elbows on the desktop and rested his chin on his hands.

Natasha spoke again. "Director, nothing's going to stop Clint from rescuing Waverly. Let him and Loki handle this while we start focusing on The Other's master."

After another long silence in which Fury sat thinking, the director sighed. "Very well. I hope you're right, Natasha." With that, Fury stood and strode out of his office, closing the door behind him with a soft snap.

Natasha took a deep breath, as if steadying herself. "So do I," she mumbled. Natasha leaned across the Fury's desk to look at his computer monitor. It was currently showing Clint and Loki's location relative to Earth. Swallowing a feeling she wasn't quite familiar with, Natasha looked away from the screen and stood up. Clint would be fine; there was nothing she could do now, anyway. It was all up to Clint and Loki.

* * *

The hyper-jet was careening along at mindboggling speed. Yet, sitting in the passenger area with his head propped up on an arm, Loki couldn't feel a thing. The god had just woken up from a magic induced sleep. He had attempted to fall asleep on his own a few minutes after Clint had taken off, but he was too restless. Every time he closed his eyes, horrible images of what The Other may be doing to Waverly filled his mind's eye. Plus, the nervousness squirming around in his stomach made it nearly impossible to relax. So, Loki had cast a spell on himself that would ease him into a dreamless sleep. He was still sitting with his eyes closed, but every other sense was on high alert as he planned his and Barton's next phase of their plan.

Loki knew stealth and the element of surprise were their best tools at this point in time, but he was so angry, so worried, he had half a mind to just locate Waverly by any means necessary and then blow up The Other's realm without a second thought. However, Loki didn't have the magic required to blow up a whole realm. He'd have to settle for something smaller. At the beginning of this mission, Clint had told Loki that as long as Waverly still had her SHIELD I.D. badge, they could use the jet's onboard computer to locate her position. So, after finding Waverly, it would be an easy task to sneak into whatever prison she was contained in. With Loki's magic and Barton's exceptional skills as a master assassin, this part of the plan would be all too easy. The hard part would be dealing with The Other. Loki was by no means going to let that foul beast live after this. Loki was determined that by the time they left this realm, The Other would be dead.

It was a shocking feeling. Loki hadn't felt this homicidal and bloodthirsty for… well since before he met Waverly. It was strange. He didn't really feel himself. What was even more compelling, it wasn't so much his rage and hatred of The Other that was fueling this feeling; it was love. His worry and concern for Waverly's safety were stronger than his anger. The thought scared Loki. For so long, his actions had been driven by rage, anger, and jealousy. If love was what was driving his actions now, how would that play into his future? What was going to happen once all this was over? Would he go back to his bloodthirsty ways or would he be forever changed by his feelings for Waverly?

Loki was so lost in thought, he didn't hear Barton come to wake him. The archer shook Loki lightly on his shoulder, and Loki jumped, opening his eyes and looking around.

"Oh," he said, "It's only you." Looking at Clint, Loki saw how exhausted he looked. Dark circles were under his eyes and he looked paler than usual. His hair hung down over his eyebrows in an unkempt mess. Etched across his face was the same fear Loki had been feeling since all this began.

"Your turn to fly," Clint said shortly. "It's pretty much on autopilot. You just need to monitor the gages. Come on." Clint beckoned over his shoulder and took off for the cockpit.

Loki followed. Once in the pilot's seat, Clint told him what to do. It wasn't that hard to follow, even if he didn't understand all of the Midgardian technology behind what he was doing. Loki assured the archer that he could handle the hyper-jet. As Clint was heading back to the passenger area, Loki cast the same spell on Clint that he had used on himself. _It is not because I am being_ kind_ to this mortal. If we are to save Waverly, we both need to be at our best. The man could do with some peaceful sleep._

* * *

All the gauges were within normal ranges, as they had been ever since Loki had taken over for Clint. They were still some ways away from The Other's location. Clint had told Loki to wake him when they were within 200 miles so that Clint could activate the jet's cloaking device. The monotony of this task allowed Loki's mind to wander to that which he was most concerned of; Waverly.

He was not, however, thinking of the horrors she may be facing at that exact moment. Though an underlying sense of worry pervaded him, he was not thinking about what state she may be in. He was simply thinking of her; the way she put her head against his chest every time they embraced each other; the way her body fit next to his when they slept; the taste of her lips and the smell of her hair. She was simply intoxicating. Since Loki had met her, she was all he could think about and the thing he cared about most. Loki knew he didn't want to end up in a prison cell for the rest of his life, but as for the path he chose, he honestly didn't care what he did next as long as he was with Waverly.

"I will rescue you," Loki muttered as if Waverly could hear him. "And then we never be separated again. I swear it."

* * *

Heavy footsteps filled the air. Waverly looked up from her hunched position in the corner of her cell. The Other's tall dark shadow fell across the corridor outside the cell's barred entrance. No doubt The Other was coming down for Waverly's hourly dose of antiserum. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Waverly could see The Other's vile face leering at her through the prison bars. A syringe was in one of his hands, its contents glowing a venomous blue in the dimness of the dungeon. In his other hand, The Other held the keys to Waverly's cell. As he began unlocking the door, Waverly had the fleeting desire to try and escape, but she knew with her powers subdued she was no match against The Other. The door clanked open and The Other positioned himself on the threshold.

"Come here," he ordered.

Waverly stared at him defiantly and remained seated on the cold stone floor.

"I said get over here!" The Other sneered.

"Make me." Waverly spat back.

With a growl, The Other lifted the hand not holding the antiserum. Using his own brand of magic, he forced Waverly up off the floor and towards him. To Waverly it felt as if a giant hand had squeezed around her torso, crushing her lungs and forcing all the air out. She gasped and choked, beginning to feel lightheaded. When she reached The Other, he plunged the syringe deep into her neck and pulled it out with such force that Waverly couldn't help but whimper in pain. When he was finished, The Other released the magic holding Waverly and she fell painfully back to the stone floor. The Other turned on his heel and swept back out of the cell. He slammed the door shut and began to lock it back again.

Waverly pushed herself up onto her knees. Pain and exhaustion were clouding her vision, but she saw The Other turn the key. He was about to leave. Abandoning all caution, Waverly thrust her arm through the bars of her cage and made a mad grab for the key in The Other's hand.

With a deep, cruel laugh, The Other took a step back. "Silly girl." He knocked Waverly's hand away before reaching across the bars himself. He grabbed a handful of her hair and forced her up onto her feet. "Haven't you learned? You cannot escape. You are the bait, Loki is my prey. As soon as he bites, I'll kill you all." The Other released Waverly and strode down the corridor and up the stairs, laughing all the while.

Waverly crawled back to her corner. She sat down and began massaging her head where The Other had grabbed her. She should have known she wasn't going to wrestle the key away from him but the antiserum was making her head foggy. Waverly shut her eyes tight and gritted her teeth against the soreness in her body. _Pull it together. You're Waverly Barton; Ice Hawk. You're an Avenger for crying out loud._

Breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth to the rhythm of the water dripping from the ceiling, Waverly forced herself to not think about the pain or the direness of her situation. She forced her mind to clear, become empty. But she couldn't. There was one thing that kept popping up. Loki. Waverly knew that it was highly likely she would never see him again. Things looked bad and Waverly couldn't see how they were both going to make it out of this.

Waverly's eyes snapped open. _No,_ she thought forcefully. _Don't think like that. You rescued Loki from the Frost Giants twice and you got away from Tyson; you'll find a way out of this mess._ Then, almost unbidden, another thought crossed her mind. _After this you and Loki will never be separated again. I swear it._

* * *

The navigation system on the hyper-jet's dashboard began beeping and blinking, pulling Loki from his thoughts. He glanced at it and gleaned that they were approaching the 200 mile mark Clint had mentioned. Swiftly, Loki stood and made his way out of the cockpit and into the jet's cabin.

His spell had worked, perhaps a little too well. Clint was conked out in a chair, his head rolling on his shoulder and a trickle of droll at the corner of his mouth. He was snoring loud enough to rival Thor.

_Humans,_ Loki thought,_ a disgusting race… well, most of them anyway._ Loki strode over and shook Clint on the opposite shoulder. Loki had no desire to be bathed in Barton's saliva.

Clint woke with a grunt and a start. "What? Are we there?"

Loki nodded. "Nearly."

Clint gave a grunt of recognition, stood and stretched, and then disappeared back into the cockpit. Loki followed. With a few quick button presses and lever pulls, Clint indicated that the jet was concealed by the same reflecting technology that hid the helicarrier. "We just need to find somewhere concealed to land once we get there."

Loki gave another nod.

"Have you figured out what we're going to do next?" Clint asked.

Loki settled into the copilot's chair. "Yes. Once you have landed this contraption, we locate Waverly using the I.D. badge you mentioned." Loki paused to allow Clint a nod. "Then I shall use magic to conceal one of us in order to slip in undetected and rescue Waverly. The other one shall act as a diversion to make doubly sure Waverly's rescue goes undetected. Once she is safe on this jet, you and I will deal with The Other."

Clint nodded again. "Awesome. Who's going to rescue Waverly and who's going to be the diversion."

"I shall rescue Waverly," Loki answered.

Clint gave an unamused laugh. "Wrong answer pal. You distract The Other. I'll get Wave."

Loki snorted. "I think not. _I _will be rescuing Waverly while you do the distracting. I think I am quite more capable of sneaking into a prison whist you are better at being loud an obnoxious."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Um, hello? I'm a _master_ assassin."

"And I am a god."

Clint sighed. "You're irritating, you know that."

Loki smiled slyly. "Thank you."

"Fine. I'll be the distraction, you get Waverly."

Loki's sly smile spread even wider. "Very well."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry it's been so long. School started again and I'm really busy. I hope to update at least once a month. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows. I hope you enjoy!**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter Five:

With the hyper-jet invisible to the naked eye and cloaked against radar, it was all too easy for Clint to pilot the jet into the thin atmosphere surrounding the desolate moon upon which The Other and his master had built their fortress. The place hadn't changed since Clint and Loki had last been there. The place was bare and rocky; thick gray dust swirled around bare expanses between mountains with terrifying cliffs. Behind the intimidating structure where Waverly was no doubt being held captive, was a volcano belching poisonous gasses into the already barely breathable air. Clint decided to land the jet on a small outcropping of this volcano. If, for some reason, the hyper-jet's cloaking device failed, the seismic activity of the mountain itself should cover up the power signature of the jet. Touchdown was a little rougher than Clint had anticipated, causing Loki to slide from the copilot's seat and bang his head loudly against the control panel.

Clint could barely suppress the smile that was attempting to crawl across his face. "All right there, hard head?" Clint snickered at his own joke. "You sure you can be the sneaky one? Just go bang your head around a little. That'll cause a distraction."

Loki got to his feet, rubbing his head. "Oh ha ha. Very funny. I would come back with a scathing retort but my head is still ringing. Besides, I am more concerned with rescuing Waverly at the moment."

That shut Clint up at once. The smile gone from his face, he swiveled in his chair to face the jet's onboard computer. He pressed a few icons on the touch screen, then entered in a long number; Waverly's I.D. number. Without turning away from the computer, he said to Loki, "This should find Waverly in a sec, assuming she still has her badge. Since we don't have a schematic of The Other's fortress, you'll just have to follow the blinking red light."

"What? I supposed to drag this infernal contraption with me?" Loki waved his hands about the cockpit.

Clint, forgoing an eye roll, shook his head. "Gimme a sec." With another swivel, he turned the pilot's chair around, leapt from his seat, and ran back into the cargo area of the jet. He returned, not only with his bow, but with the bag containing the equipment he thought might be necessary for the job. Clint took his seat once more and then dove into the bag.

"This," he said, sitting up with a thin black rectangle in his hand, "Will lead you to Waverly." Clint plugged the device in the computer. "You follow the red light on the screen."

Loki forced his voice to remain level when he asked, "And what red light are you talking about?"

It was then that Clint realized the computer hadn't located Waverly yet. Dread filled his stomach and he glanced back at the screen. He quickly reentered Waverly's I.D. and ran the search again. Clint held his breath while the computer worked. After an agonizing minute, nothing.

"Damn it!" Clint swore.

Loki raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"She doesn't have her badge. Computer should have located her by now."

Loki shut his eyes for a moment and took a long even breath to calm himself. He felt his heart rate quicken and a cold sweat was beginning to crawl down his neck, but he forced himself to not think about his fear. "We need a new plan."

Clint nodded. "We've come this whole way undetected, I think we can slip in the fortress just as easily. Let's get in, split up, and locate Waverly. Whoever finds her first will radio to the other one." Clint reached back into his bag and pulled out two of the ear pieces Loki had seen so often in the Avengers' ears. The god knew this to be the way the agents of SHEILD communicated with one another. Loki took the communicator Clint offered him, and with a little difficulty, screwed it securely into his ear. Loki knew he could easily communicate with Clint telepathically with his magic. He didn't have a problem violating the privacy of the archer's mind (again), but he was NOT about to let Clint in his mind. So, Loki settled for the strange Midgardian device now digging uncomfortably into his ear.

While Clint explained the rest of the newly formed plan, the archer swung his quiver over his shoulder and Loki picked up his spear. "When one of us finds her, we'll meet back up get her outta there and bring her back here. Then we'll face The Other together."

Loki nodded. "Unless I come across him before finding your sister."

Clint shook his head. "I think we should face him together. If one of us dies before we get Waverly…." Clint trailed off.

"All right," Loki said. "We spilt up, avoid detection, do not confront The Other. Find Waverly, meet back up, then we destroy him."

Clint agreed and headed towards the jet's hatch.

Loki followed him. "I just have one condition."

Clint looked back at the god of mischief with his eyebrows raised. "And that would be?"

"I get to deal the death blow." Loki brushed past Clint and headed out onto the desolate moon. Clint couldn't help be shiver at the murderous look in Loki's eyes.

* * *

Waverly was pacing her cell. Wild plans of escape kept forming in her mind. None of them, of course, would work seeing as she was powerless. Her only way of escape would be to avoid being injected with the antiserum or somehow convince The Other to let her out of her cell. _Yeah,_ Waverly thought, _like that'll happen. _Maybe she could escape her cell without her powers. Pick the lock or something old school like that. It was possible; if only there was something she could use to pick the lock. The only thing in the cell besides Waverly was the trickle of dirty water that fell from the ceiling into a puddle on the floor.

A thought struck Waverly like a bolt of lightning. Before putting her desperate hope into action, Waverly crossed across the stone floor to the bars of her prison. Smashing her face against the cool metal, Waverly strained to look down the hall whilst listening with all her might. There wasn't any sign of The Other, no thundering footsteps in the distance. Turning back, Waverly hurried back to the corner of her cell. She plopped down on the cold, dirty floor and sat cross-legged with her back the cell door.

Waverly felt her breath come in quick, nervous gasps. She took a deep breath to calm herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the breath slowly out through her nose. Waverly opened her eyes and stared at the puddle of gray water. With a trembling hand, she lifted one finger and held it just above the water.

Maybe, by some small chance, by some miracle, the antiserum had worn off just enough for her to use her powers for a second. Just a second. That was all it would take. She would make a key, a pick, something that would get her out of here. She would just need a little spurt of power. It had been awhile since The Other had injected her with a dose of antiserum. Maybe, just maybe, this would work.

Waverly took a breath and concentrated with all her might. She stared at the puddle of water without blinking. Digging deep inside herself, Waverly searched for the source of her power; that feeling in her stomach, the tingling in her hands and feet that meant she could control the water.

She thought she saw the water ripple, but then nothing. She felt nothing. There was no jolt in her gut, not rush of adrenaline. The antiserum still had control over her body. Her powers were useless. Waverly let her hand drop to her lap and she hung her head.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows! Hope you enjoy!**

**I own nothing.**

Chapter Six:

The trek to the imposing fortress passed without incident. Loki and Clint didn't talk much. They stayed silent and kept to the shadows, creeping along like only a master assassin and the god of mischief could. Within half an hour, the pair descended the volcano, leaving the safety of the hyper-jet behind. Now, all that lie between them and The Other's stronghold was a barren stretch of land. Clint and Loki stood at the foot of the volcano and looked out over the terrain. A few boulders littered the ground here and there, but for the most part, the land was flat. Deep cracks scarred the landscape, issuing yellow steam from the moon's depths.

"We should steer clear of the steam," Clint said. "Probably poisonous."

Loki bit back a sarcastic retort and simply nodded. As Clint made to move on, Loki reached out and grabbed the archer by the shoulder. "Wait a moment." Loki closed his eyes. Using his magic, he probed the surrounding area with his mind, looking for other forms of consciousness. He felt nothing immediately near; it seemed their journey had gone undetected so far. Loki released Clint and opened his eyes. "The area is clear. We shouldn't meet any trouble until the fortress itself."

Now Clint was the one nodding. Still, he nocked an arrow just in case. Setting off at a light jog, Clint led the way across the stretch of land before them.\

* * *

Waverly was pacing her cell again. She could feel the antiserum's effects wearing off. No doubt The Other would be back soon to give her another dose. Until then, every time she passed the puddle of dirty water, Waverly attempted to use her powers. So far, nothing. Waverly had no way to tell the passage of time, but her sore feet told her she had been pacing for quite some time. This was the longest Waverly had been awake since she had been imprisoned; it felt like she had been awake for days but at the same time it felt like only minutes. She was going stir crazy. What were the Avenger's doing right now? Were they planning to come after her? Was her brother leading the charge? Was Loki? Or had they already tried to rescue her and been killed by The Other? Why then, hadn't The Other gloated over his victory and finished her off? And where was he? It unnerved Waverly that she hadn't seen The Other in such a long time; not that she minded. If he was late giving her an injection, maybe her powers would come back in time for her to escape. But what if The Other's absence was because the Avengers had arrived to rescue her? Could they be battling The Other at this very moment? Waverly paused in her pacing and looked wildly around for some sign of a fight going on; the sound of Tony flying through the air, Bruce's roar. After a moment of hearing nothing but the steady drip of water, Waverly went back to pacing. She tried her powers again. Still nothing.

* * *

Clint was crouched behind a boulder, Loki was flattened on the ground beside him. They were in the shadow of the fortress. An iron gate stood at the top of a set of stairs, guarded on either side by what looked like Chituari warriors. Loki hadn't realized any had survived the battle of New York. Not that he cared; these two would be easy to overcome. One of the guards shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked over in the direction of the boulder that Clint and Loki were sheltering behind. Quick as a flash and in total silence, both the god and the archer disappeared behind their cover before the alien could see them.

Cocking his head to one side, Clint indicated Loki should move closer.

Loki leaned in, his face far too close to Clint's for his liking.

"I can deal with those two," Clint whispered. "Two sedation arrows in quick succession; they won't have a chance. I can't do anything about that gate, though, without setting off an explosion. Then for sure The Other would realize we're here."

"I will take care of the gate." Loki said. He twisted his scepter in his hands, an eerie blue glow surrounding the weapon.

"All right. This is it then. Ready?"

For a brief moment, hardly a second, Clint and Loki's eyes met. In each other's gazes, they could see the feelings for Waverly that were driving this mission. In Clint's, Loki saw the archer's love for his adoptive sister, his need to protect her and keep her safe. In Loki's, Clint saw the dedication and passion the god had for Waverly and it was at that moment that Clint fully understood the bond between his sister and the god that had possessed his mind.

Loki nodded and the moment was over. The murderous glint was back in Loki's emerald eyes and Clint's narrowed to the concentrated slits of an expert marksmen. Peering around one side of the boulder, Clint let loose an arrow. Before it had even met its mark, he whipped around, nocked another arrow, and fired from around the opposite side of the boulder. The first arrow whistled through the air and met its mark in the alien's neck. Before the guard had even hit the ground, the second arrow buried itself in the second alien's neck; he didn't even have time to look surprised. With almost synchronous 'thuds,' the Chituari crumpled to the stone beneath their feet.

Loki took off toward the fortress, his scepter glowing with magic. He pointed his weapon at the crisscrossing iron bars. They glowed blue for half a second, then melted away into nothingness as if they weren't ever there. Loki took the steps two at a time, Clint at his heels. The entrance hall before them was empty. The floor was like shiny, black marble and the walls were made of blood red stone. Flaming sconces dotted the walls, casting a creepy crimson glow. Loki and Clint stood on the threshold; their eyes each scanning the hall before them. They were alone.

"Let's split up," Clint said. "Remember, if you find her, press the button on the earpiece. I'll come find you."

Loki nodded. "If one of us can rescue her on our own, shall we rendezvous back here?"

"Sounds good."

"Then, let's be off." Loki headed towards a dark corridor on their left. Before he disappeared from Clint's view, the god turned around. "Good luck, Barton."

"You too, Reindeer Games." Clint wasn't surprised to realize that he meant it. He watched as Loki's lips tilted up ever so slightly in a smile, before he disappeared down the hall. Clint nocked another arrow in his bow, then sprinted down the entrance hall, his footfalls light and silent on the stone floor.

* * *

The passage Loki had taken was leading him deep into the bowels of the fortress. He had descended several spiral staircases made of rock, walked along dark and deserted corridors, and searched through empty rooms full of the various armor and weapons used by The Other and his Chituari warriors. It unnerved Loki that he had not met any obstacles or guards along the way. The fortress was deadly silent except for Loki's light footfalls. Every sense was on high alert; the god's ears pricked for the slightest sound, his eyes scrutinizing every dark corner and crevice. Loki felt his heart thudding somewhere in his throat instead of down in his chest as it should. He felt the usual rush of adrenalin that preceded battle beginning to stir in his navel.

Descending yet another winding staircase, Loki surmised that he was deep underground. The walls were roughly hewn of dirt and stone and water trickled through cracks in the ceiling. It was dark and cold and the silence pressed against Loki's ears. At the foot of the stairs, Loki found himself at the end of a long, narrow corridor. It was lit by a torch to his left and again by another at the hall's far end. There were no passages off this corridor, only a heavy metal door at the far end.

As he stood and gazed at the door, Loki felt his skin prickle and his scalp tingle. His breathing quickened, sending a cloud of mist into the air before his face. It felt as if his heart was going to explode from his body. Something was on the other side of this door; something he needed to find. He didn't know if it was Waverly or The Other, but something was waiting for him on the other side of that door. Loki took a breath and set off at a slow, quiet walk towards the door.

* * *

While Loki was delving deeper into the depths of the fortress, Clint was scaling tower after tower, searching for his sister. At the end of the entrance hall, three separate corridors had branched off, two leading to a large room like some kind of dining hall or meeting room. Clint had explored each of these corridors to no success. He had retraced his steps back to the entrance hall and then disappeared down the final hallway. This hallway immediately began sloping slightly upwards before Clint found himself at the foot of a metal staircase. He began climbing, an arrow still at the ready.

Every fiber of Clint's being was screaming out that something wasn't right. Years of training and countless missions had taught him that nothing was this easy; he should have met some kind of resistance by now. Or, at the very least, have spied some aliens somewhere, or The Other himself. But the fortress was quiet as the grave. Clint swallowed. _Bad analogy._

Clint reached the top of the staircase. A door stood slightly ajar before him and another long hallway lead off to his right. Clint nudged the door further open with his foot and peered through the doorway, the tip of an arrow peeking around the corner as well. The room looked like someone's living quarters. There was an iron chandelier lit by blood red candles hanging low from the ceiling. A huge four-poster bed stood in the corner. The room was deserted. Clint somehow knew that this wasn't The Other's bedroom. Someone more sinister lived in this room.

Clint didn't wait to find out who it was; right now his mission was to find his sister. He edged out of the room and instead took off down the hallway to his right. It ended in a zigzagging set of stairs. Clint began to climb.

After three more staircases, two of which wound so tightly, Clint almost got dizzy, the archer found himself at the base of one of the fortress's towers. There was one more set of stairs that ended at an open doorway. An orange light flooded from the tower room and the air was thick and hot. Someone was up there. Clint could see shadows moving about the room and hear low, grumbling voices.

Clint began to ascend the stairs. He made no noise, hardly daring to even breathe. The string of his bow was pulled taut. This was it; his spy senses were going off the radar. One of his targets was in this room.

* * *

Waverly's feet screamed out in pain. She had stubbed her toes on the rough stone floor so many time that she had lost count. The deadening cold of her cell chilled her feet right to the bone. But still, she paced on. She just couldn't sit still. Back and forth and walked across her cell. _If anything,_ Waverly thought in frustration, _I'll wear a hole in the floor and can escape that way._ And still, every time she passed the puddle of water, she reached out a hand and tried to summon the water. A couple times, she thought she saw ripples across the puddle's surface and once, it may have been her imagination, Waverly thought a small droplet had actually hovered above the puddle for a second. This time, though, there was nothing, nothing at all. Waverly huffed in frustration sending a cloud of condensation in her face. The temperature in her cell seemed to drop. Waverly stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and her heart hammering against her rib cage. The temperature had dropped with her frustration, just like it always did when she was emotional… when her powers were working. A chill ran up her spine; a sort of comforting chill. Waverly sunk to her knees in front of the puddle. She held her breath and concentrated harder than she had ever done before in her life. Extending a hand over the water, it was almost as if Waverly's heart had stopped in anticipation. She stared at the water. And then, a thin trickle raised itself from the puddle and began moving through the air towards her hand. As the small jet of water came closer to her fingers, it began to turn slowly to ice. Waverly hardly dared to believe her eyes.

And then, as suddenly as it happened, the water and ice fell back to the floor and rejoined the dirty puddle. Waverly closed her eyes tight and stifled a swear. That's when she heard it; the familiar creak of the rusty hinged door that lead to the dungeons and her cell. The Other was coming with another injection. _No,_ Waverly thought desperately. _No, just a little more time! I almost had it!_

* * *

Loki had finally reached the end of the narrow hallway. It felt like an eternity had passed while he traversed this corridor. Standing before the door, Loki felt his heart hammer wildly in his chest. He hardly dared to breathe. Reaching out a shaking hand, Loki pushed open the door.


End file.
